The Glass Pavilion Gets a Price Cut

By Cool Houses Daily Staff
| Published: 7/25/2012

By nearly anyone's standards, $14 million is a big chunk of change to spend on a house. But when you consider this property's original asking price of $35 million, $14 million sounds like a downright steal. The Glass Pavilion -- a modern masterpiece that's been on and off the market since 2010 -- just got a price cut, and we're wondering if we can scrape together enough cash to make this place our own.

California-based designer Steve Hermann strove to create "the most minimalist house ever designed" when he built the 14,000-square-foot home as his own personal residence. "There's nothing inhibiting the flow of light and space. You are completely enveloped in nature," he described to Santa Barbara Magazine.

Constructed with massive steel beams (each one weighing as much as 10 Range Rovers), the home appears to hover weightlessly above an expansive green lawn. Walls of Starfire glass -- a nearly crystal-clear glass often used for jewelry displays -- encase nearly every room, dissolving barriers between interior and exterior spaces. The centerpiece of the home is an enormous art gallery -- so large that it currently houses a collection of 32 vintage cars.

Even after its latest price cuts (the asking price has been reduced by more than $6 million just this year), the Glass Pavilion is still a tad out of our price range. But if we had millions lying around, we'd jump on this property in a heartbeat.